Having lived in Ohio many years, I can tell you, Ray, that you echo the 
sentiments of many Ohioans when you say, "What is the matter with these 
idiots?"  I was having acupunture treatments there in the mid-sevenites.  
Shortly after I moved, the State banned acupuncture!  Unbelievable!  Scott

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>Research ban would hurt Ohio
> or why I am no longer a Republican.  What is the matter with these idiots??
>I can remember when Republicans did not oppose science.  These attempts to
>stop therapeutic cloning seem to be cropping up all over the country.  Thank
>goodness progress is being made elsewhere,  like in the UK.  The criminal
>penalties like jail would be worth not having PD if I have to go abroad for
>treatment.
>
>Ray
>
>A bill being considered in the Ohio Senate, meant to ban human cloning,
>would do far more than that. It would weaken the state's push, through its
>new economic stimulus package, to attract top biomedical researchers. And it
>would send a message, accurate or not, that the state isn't really serious
>about developing cutting-edge science and the jobs that come with it.
>Lawmakers should reject the legislation, which itself is essentially a clone
>of an earlier, equally misguided attempt to restrict scientific research.
>Proposed by Sen. Stephen Buehrer, R-Delta, the bill would impose criminal
>penalties on anyone who attempts human cloning in any form, for therapeutic
>or reproductive use. In essence it bans the technique of "somatic cell
>nuclear transfer," in which the nucleus of an egg is replaced with the
>nucleus of another cell.
>This would prevent the artificial creation of a human being. But it also
>would virtually rule out therapeutic genetic techniques. It would remove a
>major tool to create personalized stem cells lines, keyed to an individual's
>DNA, that could be used to cure specific diseases in that person.
>Dr. Arnold W. Strauss, medical director of Cincinnati Children's Hospital
>Medical Center, told a Senate committee the ban would keep Ohio scientists
>from finding new treatments for several diseases with genetic origins.
>"Generating patient-specific stem cells, that is, human cells that contain
>those genetic mistakes ... in a Petri dish is not cloning of a human," he
>said.
>As others testified, this research is vital to the kind of breakthroughs
>Ohio is investing heavily to produce. The state has smartly set the stage
>with grants, tax policies, capital formation and other initiatives.
>Bioscience now is its fastest-growing industry. Strauss said it drives
>15,000 jobs in Cincinnati alone. The ban would signal "that Ohio is a
>hostile environment for productive biomedical research," he said.
>This is a debate that should have been settled by now. In 2005, after voters
>approved the "Third Frontier" high-tech initiative, lawmakers attempted to
>insert a similar ban into its implementation law. Then-Gov. Bob Taft, who
>had already issued an executive order to govern such research, wisely vowed
>to veto any such measure.
>If the General Assembly is so foolhardy as to pass this legislation, Gov.
>Ted Strickland should follow his predecessor's lead and slap it down. Ohio
>holds great promise as a center for research that could strengthen the
>state's economy and benefit many lives. Lawmakers should let the scientists
>do the science.
>
>Rayilyn Brown
>Board Member AZNPF
>Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation
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Scott E. Antes
Department of Anthropology
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5200

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